Little Master to bat for Deutsche Bank

TNNMay 11, 2006, 12.00am IST

NEW DELHI: The German banking major is is all set to sign Sunil Gavaskar as its new brand ambassador. Gavaskar and Sania Mirza would address a growing market that wants a bank to be youthful and stable. Sources said the bank wants to project stability and maturity through Sunil Gavaskar, while Sania will represent the youthful vigour.

"The brand ambassadors will represent stability and cheerfulness cutting acrosss all ages," a source close to the development said. The decision to rope in two leading celebrities as its brand ambassadors is part of the bank's expansion plans in India.

The bank, which has recently forayed into the retail segment, has also announced plans to beef up its asset management business in India by bringing in its retail mutual fund brand DWS Investments, last week. This brand liasion is like a second innings for Gavaskar after appearing in advertisements for Dinesh Suitings almost a decade ago, which he represented for 11 years.

While there was a small stint with LG, currently Gavaskar is better known as a commentator on ESPN Star Sports. The tenure and the endorsement fees of the contract could not be immediately ascertained for both the brand ambassadors.

Commenting on the appointment of the brand ambassadors, Anirban Das Blah, VP marketing Globosport told ET; "it represents the fusion of global performance with an Indian identit with Sania representing a combination of passion and performance".

The Duetsche Bank deal comes at a time when the financial services sector is increasingly using celebrities to endorse their institutions. The favourite in this sector by far is Rahul Dravid, nicknamed 'The Wall' - he embodies every quality that Bank of Baroda and Max New York Life want to project.

Meanwhile, when it comes to Bollywood celebrities, ICICI bank had signed on Amitabh Bachchan. It subsequently roped in Shahrukh Khan. Bank of Rajasthan, meanwhile has signed on Hema Malini as their brand ambassador.